So my bud and I went to Madison today to testify as a registered witness to the dangers of allowing a new sulfide mining bill in WI. I have watched parking wars, went to go home and my car was gone. I obviously did not read the sign a half a block ahead that said cars parked between 4 and 7 will be towed. The ticket said towed at 4:07, meter @ 4:17 still had time but the car was gone. Luckily I had a sticker on my back window for the 99th infantry battalion. It got towed around the corner. We were like where did it go and what do we do next., We started walking expecting a parking wars experience, trying to figure out who to call, I saw the sticker on the back of my car and we walked 1/2 block, keyfob unlock, start up and go. No problems. Now If I had not seen the sticker what is the next step. How did they tow my car around the corner, and did the alarm go off? And thank You Madison for not imposing impound fees. 95 bucks altogether for tow and ticket. Does anything this great happen to you in your city?
When I worked on the University campus in Minneapolis, parking was not allowed after 4:00 on the main drag. Tow trucks would be lined up just waiting for the bell to ring at precisely 4:00 to start their towing. Its big business for them at about $75 a pop. Some driver gave you a big pass on this one and probably didn’t tell his boss.
To tell you the truth I would have not recognized my car except for the sticker. Got lucky is your and my guess!
But I do have towing and ticket charge.
Years ago I lived in a city where you were not allowed to park anything for longer than four hours between 8 and 6, Mondays through Fridays. Normally, they would not enforce parking on quiet streets like ours until someone complained.
I had a 72 volvo that forever broke so had to leave it parked one day. It was getting tired, having to lay under that thing every weekend, just to get to work on Monday so was looking to get rid of it.
After getting a ride home that day, I noticed that my volvo was gone. Called the cops and they told me it had been towed because it was abandoned. It was basically parked for 7 hours too long in front of my door. My cable and electricity stealing crack addict neighbor didn’t like us (we caught him stealing our cable and electricity) and he called it in.
I get to the tow place to get the car out but was told I’d have to wait until Monday. Of course, he’d expected $240 cash by then for hook and storage fee. That wasn’t gonna happen.
"okay, keep the car then. It doesn’t run anyway and it isn’t worth $240 to me… ", I go and start to walk out the door.
“Joey, call the cops!! This guy is abandoning his car in my lot!!”, the guy goes and he tried to block my exit and grabbing my arm.
“Get your hands off me or you will get hurt…”. I’m not small and can make good on that promise, especially then, being in my mid 20s. I don’t know what people are thinking sometimes. You don’t grab someone to stop him from leaving.
“tell you what - get the car out, I’ll give you something, will drag the wreck home and we’ll forget about the whole thing”, I suggest. “I’m not paying you $240”.
He lets go and asks "okay, how much?"
I give him $20, he gets it out of storage and I get it towed home, and push it back in my spot.
I got it running again and it rolled into the Subaru dealer for a trade in, where I got my then new 84 Subie.
Here’s my question: How the heck do I get one of those stickers? lol
No, it would never happen here, even if I had that sticker. They’d tow it sticker or no sticker. And if a car is towed here in SF bay area, the towing & impound fines and other out of pocket expenses would be closer to $500.
I’ll be glad to send you a 99th infantry battalion sticker. My dad got frozen feet in the battle of the bulge standing behind a 2.5" tree fighting off the German advance that prevented the Germans from taking Belgium. He died last August, so as a remembrance to him I put the sticker on my car. They were called the battle babies by others as many did not even have basic training before going into the battle. He was better trained, but I believe he would not abandoned his post even if the Germans had not retreated and he had had to stay longer. War is Hell!
@Barkydog We’re losing so many of them now. Sorry to hear it. Have you gone over to Belgium to tour the area? We’ve done several trips and it is meaningful-especially Normandy. We had a teacher friend in town that I believe was in the Battle of the Bulge and got a tape of him telling of his experiences to a class before he died. Don’t know what unit he was in though but talked about marching into a concentration camp. Wow.
Good story Remcow.
All I can say is don’t come a parkin’ here in Washington DC!
DC government is more efficient at parking enforcement than rape investigation (look it up).
We all owe our freedom to your dad and his fellow troops. My own dad served in WWII. They truely were a great generation. It touches my emotions to read your pride in him, and I applaud you for displaying his colors.
Thank you.
TSM
I got pulled over by an Indian casino cop for a minor issue. We talked a bit and he gave me ticket. I sent in check and a few weeks later I got check back in the mail, uncashed. Huh? Note inside said ticket was never turned in.
It pays to read the signs. A colleague went to L.A. on a business trip and went to a night club in the evening. It must have been a good floor show; when he went to get his car a 1am, it had been towed away. The police dept gave him the compound address, and the next morning and $125 later, he was able to get his rental car back. Rental agreements specifically do not cover traffic violations, so he forked it up out of his own pocket. The company would not pass it on his expense account either.
Bing that sounds great you went to Normandy, I’ll put that on the list. On the same page Same old Mountainbike. I was 120 miles from home, it would have been a hassle to get the car back for sure.
Thanks to your dad for his service to his country. We sometimes get involved in the minor everyday problems we have and forget about the major sacrafices of those that came before. There’s a 2 hour show on PBS tonight about WWII and I plan to watch it.
"D-Day to Berlin
In 1944 the future of Europe hung in the balance. This series follows the remarkable story of the Allied forces and the victories that set them on their way to ending World War II in 1945. The collective military operations from D-Day in June 1944, to the final assault on Germany in 1945 represent one of the greatest military offensives. Every Allied success loosened the Nazi grip on Western Europe, freeing it from repression and changing its history forever. Using a testimony-driven format, the program uses the accounts of British, American and German soldiers involved to form a dramatic narrative structure, while archive footage brings those savage battlefields to life once more."
Thanks to all that say thanks, all the soldiers in all the wars and conflicts deserve our gratitude. People are putting their life on the line every day. Sure I am saddened this is the course of history, but to have the hope for a more just world free of tyranny is an admirable cause.
Cops write tickets. Tow co than tows. It’s up to tow co to decide where or what to do with car.